Chapter 19 Regulations of the Directors Guild

  "Not only can you not sign your name as the director, you can't even sign Joe Dante." Roger Corman uses Joe as an example.

  "Because the Directors Guild (DGA) stipulates that, except in extremely special circumstances, a film can only have one director signed. This is to prevent the studio from exploiting the director by letting him shoot most of the shots first, and then firing him after the shooting is completed, so that the studio can add their own name and list him as the director."

  Roger continued to explain: "Not only that, to sign the director of a film, it must be reviewed by the Directors Guild, and at least two-thirds of the original shots must be shot by this director."

  "As long as you are a registered member of the Hollywood Directors Guild, your interests are quite protected. The producer may not give you the final editing rights, but he cannot stop you from signing. What you shoot is what you shoot."

  "Because of this, the Directors Guild is very strict in the signature review. They do not accept applications, but only actively invite new directors to join. If I include a newcomer in the list of directors of 'Rock High School', then the union will soon come to invite him to join. And this opportunity, I left it to Alan Aikush."

  ​​"Oh, Mr. Coleman, you misunderstood. I don't have the idea of ​​signing the director. I just want to appear in the subtitles at the end of the film. I know that crew assistants generally don't have the opportunity to appear in the subtitles."

  "I can add your name to the assistant column at the end of the film, but why do you want to put it in the subtitles?" Roger Corman was a little surprised. Ronald also had the childish idea of ​​leaving his name. "The average audience won't read the subtitles, and a person's name only appears for a few seconds. You can't see it if you're not concentrating. In Hollywood movies, the names of important members are released at the beginning."

  "It's like this, Mr. Coleman," Ronald explained. "My current income mainly comes from taking audition photos for actors, which cost $30 a set.

  If my name appears in a movie that will be released in theaters, then I can increase my offer to at least $50. Then I can be a photographer and earn money to pay for college."

  "Does having your name in the subtitles have such a big impact?" Roger Corman was a little curious.

  "Yes, Mr. Coleman. Almost all the actors who ask me to take their audition photos have never acted in a movie. They want to appear in a movie, but they often have a lot of hearsay ideas about how to take their audition photos.

  If I have participated in a movie, then my words will have greater authority. Not only can I charge a higher price, but it can also save a lot of trouble when shooting."

  "Oh, that's a good idea. You have to keep it up. This is a good business mindset. Many good directors don't understand business. But great directors always find a balance between business and art."

  "Mr. Coleman, do you need a still photographer? I can take stills for 'Rock and Roll High School' for free. All I need is the money for the film and the printing." Ronald took the opportunity to promote his services.

  "Do you have sample photos?"

  "Yes, here, look." Ronald took out a stack of prepared photos from a folder and handed them to Roger Corman. They were all portraits taken in New York.

  "Very good, you go to the crew's location next week to take some photos, remember to keep the receipts."

  "Thank you, Mr. Coleman, I'll be out first."

  "By the way, let Jim in."

  Ronald closed the door and slowly walked towards where Gail was. He had a hunch that Roger Corman didn't want to give him a title as a director. His statement about the Directors Guild was not necessarily the whole truth.

  First of all, it is impossible for all members of the Directors Guild to be directors. What about assistant directors? What about second-group directors? Their rights and interests also need to be protected by the union. If you are not listed as a director of a movie, is it impossible to be a member of the Directors Guild? Roger said that Alan Ekush had to rely on Rock High School to get the qualification of the Directors Guild. The qualification here probably refers to the level of being a director of a movie.

  Second, Roger Corman only pays very little to his employees. For college graduates like Gail who have decent family conditions, it's fine. Why are Joe, Alan, Jim and other people with families willing to take such low wages? This shows that Roger was exploiting their skills, making these talented professionals work for him almost for free. After completing a movie, they could join the union, and when they became famous, they could go to the eight major studios to make movies. Then Roger Corman recruited a new batch of people.

  Before watching the sample film, Ronald heard Roger Corman say to Jerry Zucker, "If you make this movie well, you will never have to work for me again in the future." This calculation was very clear.

  In turn, these professionals were also exploiting Roger Corman. The Hollywood union was very harsh on newcomers like Ronald or Jim. If you are a union member, you can enjoy good treatment, and you will be given priority in the films registered by the union. If you are not a union member, you must work for a certain number of days in the films registered by the union before you can apply for membership (the Directors Guild is an exception, which is an invitation-based system). The problem is that in Hollywood, non-union members have almost no chance to make films registered by the union.

  This is just like the novel "Catch-22" that Ronald read in high school. To make a movie, union members are preferred. To join a union, one must have made a movie. This is a logical deadlock. Newcomers can never join the union. The only way out is for a boss like Roger to be willing to hire non-union newcomers like Ronald in a union project.

  Ronald raised his hand to greet Gail. He let Jim, who was already waiting outside, in. Jim was very relaxed and was flirting with Gail just now.

  Seeing that Gail was not very busy, Ronald tentatively asked, "I brought a camera today and want to take a few photos with Jim. If you like, I can also take a few portraits of you." Then he took out the sample film and spread it on the table for her to see.

  "Wow, you took a good picture. Will it look good in the photos if I wear this kind of clothes today?" Gail immediately began to look at her clothes and shoes.

  After Gail finished looking at the photos, Ronald also pulled a chair and sat down. "Gail, you've seen a lot in the film industry. Do you know what the Directors Guild is all about?"

  Gail looked up at him, took a piece of paper from the table, picked up a pen and wrote as he said, "The Directors Guild is an invitation-based organization. If you want to join, you don't need to apply. As long as you can leave your name in the project, the Directors Guild will get the list and send you an invitation letter."

  "The members of the Directors Guild are divided into three levels: film director, assistant director, assistant director/second group director. Each level should have different membership fees. You can go to the library to check the specific information."

  He folded the paper in half and handed the information about the Directors Guild level to Ronald.

  "Is Alan Ekush also a member of the Directors Guild?"

  "Of course, he is a second-level assistant director. Joe Dante directed "Piranha" last year and was promoted to the highest level of director."

  Ronald took the paper written by Gail and put it in his pocket, thinking: It seems that his judgment is right. The reason why Roger Corman can produce films at a super low cost is that he relies on his keen eye for talent and uses the union's membership qualification to card people.

  Similarly, Roger Corman chose two paths for himself, and he had to be exploited by him for several years before he could have the opportunity to independently direct a low-budget film. If I go to college, Roger will not lose anything, but if I indulge in the dream of making movies and want to direct my own movies, it is difficult to refuse a visible path given by Roger.

  No wonder Roger's first question to him was about his dream. Who can resist this sales technique if he has a dream of making movies and comes from a poor family with few opportunities?

  Ronald shook his head. Even if he went to college, if he hadn't forgotten his dream, he would have to come back to Roger. It was too difficult to get into the film industry.

  Just then, three people suddenly came up the stairs and rushed to Roger Coleman's office.

  One of the people was Jerry Zucker. Among the other two men, one had similar facial features to Jerry and the other was slightly taller. The three wanted to go directly into Roger's office.

  Gail hurriedly stood up and stopped them. "Excuse me, Mr. Zucker, this... sir, Mr. Coleman is meeting a guest. Please wait outside."

  "No, please don't stop me, Gail. This is between Roger and me." Jerry Zucker pushed Gail's hand away and wanted to continue walking in.

  Seeing the three people excited, Ronald hurried forward to help Gail calm them down.

  Jim also opened the door to check, and it seemed that Roger Coleman also heard the noise outside.

  The accident happened suddenly...

  (End of this chapter)